Common Sense and Vulgarity
by AirGirl Phantom
Summary: After joining Yugi, Yami lost some of the anger that made him such a fierce Pharaoh so long ago. But one day, it begins to return, and it could result in the ultimate test of his friendship with Yugi. Takes place in Battle City finals, rated for language.
1. A Friendship Broken

**A/N: **Hello, everyone! I'll try to make this note quick.

I was watching Yu-gi-oh, and getting increasingly frustrated at the lack of common sense displayed in the characters (namely, Yugi). So, I changed him slightly to make him more realistic, in my point of view. This story will fit neatly into the plotline of season three; I won't affect events beyond the Battle City finals.

Enjoy the story!

* * *

Common Sense and Vulgarity

**Episode 67 – Mime Control**

_(After Yugi's duel with Marik's mind slave)_

Mokuba looked on as the creepy-looking guy issued threats to Yugi like a machine gun – fast and deadly. Though slightly confused by the whole thing (especially when the guy collapsed), the angry and fearful look on Yugi's face was enough to quell his questions. _I wonder what he's thinking right now…_

* * *

_That son of a bitch,_ Yami thought furiously when Marik finished speaking. Yugi, though a bit shocked at his partner's coarse language, agreed wholeheartedly with the sentiment. With no further ado, he turned his back on Kaiba and Mokuba and ran off to find his friends.

"Hey, get back here right now!" Kaiba exclaimed.

Yugi made to stop and answer him, but at that moment, Yami seized complete control of his body, not willing to waste any more time on Kaiba. Instead of stopping to talk, he kept running, sticking a fist behind his back where Kaiba could see it. From that fist emerged a single finger.

_Yami! _exclaimed Yugi. _What are you doing?_

The Pharaoh didn't reply, but only hoped that Kaiba got the message that his friends were much more important than a card game with a megalomaniac.

* * *

As Yugi ran away flashing an obscene gesture at Seto, Mokuba looked over at his big brother. His fists were clenched so hard his knuckles were white; his eyes bulged out, then narrowed into angry slits as he furrowed his brow. Mokuba took a wary step away from him.

"Right back at you, Moto," Seto hissed through his teeth. After that, Mokuba heard only curses and oaths pouring from his mouth. He could have sworn the temperature rose several degrees from the force of his big brother's fury.

* * *

**Episode 81 – Let the Finals Begin**

_(Seto confronts Yugi on the blimp)_

"Yugi, I have some words of advice for you."

Without Yami's height, Yugi felt a little intimidated as Kaiba's towering form approached him. But, as he had done many times before, Yami wordlessly reassured Yugi by gently brushing their minds together. It was not enough for Yami's appearance to surface, but the contact quickly negated Yugi's fright and gave him a sense of security.

"I'm aware that you haven't played your Egyptian God card since you won it," Kaiba said, sneering, "but it's time for that to end right here and now. So it had better be in your deck during the finals because I intend to win it. This is _my_ tournament, Yugi. Got it?"

Yugi listened quietly and impassively as Kaiba spoke. He was not interested in fueling his fury or mistreating him when he had helped save Yugi's friends. Yami, however, did not seem to feel as forgiving. His angry snarls made him sound like a caged beast, but for the interspersed vulgarities that were most definitely human.

"And then, when the Battle City finals are all over, I'll be the world's greatest duelist, and the owner of all three Egyptian God cards, making my deck unbeatable." Raw ambition and greed shone in Kaiba's eyes. "So it's time to say your goodbyes to Slifer the Sky Dragon, and to any hopes you had of winning. Listen to me closely: Duelist Kingdom is far away, and as long as you're up here with me, you're playing _my_ game by _my_ rules. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a tournament to run." With that, Kaiba turned his back and began to walk away.

"Man, this balloon is fulla hot air!" Joey said angrily. Before he could start a full-blown rant, one of Kaiba's employees announced that they should report to their rooms on the airship. They all began to walk down the hallway, but Yugi stopped when he heard Kaiba address him again.

"By the way, Yugi," Kaiba said, using a dangerously soft tone, "I haven't forgotten about the little bird you flipped me, and I'm not going to anytime soon. So you had better watch your back, because – "

Yugi couldn't even hear the rest of Kaiba's threat over the sound of Yami's angry voice in his head, yelling obscenities that couldn't reach Kaiba's ears. He tried to calm the Pharaoh. _Yami, save your rage for when we fight him in a duel! _When his words had no effect, Yugi knew he had to find a way out of this predicament – and fast. He flicked his gaze towards his friends, who had just turned around, realizing Yugi had stayed back. He took a couple steps toward them, still deaf to all sounds but the Pharaoh's enraged ranting.

Suddenly, just when Yugi felt he had the situation under control, Yami's self-restraint shattered. He shoved Yugi into the proverbial backseat and took over his body. Yugi immediately tried to combine his mind with the Pharaoh's, so that he wouldn't get _too_ out of hand. When it didn't work, he became more frantic, but his attempt was futile. So he could only watch inside his own body, unable to control the fury of his other half.

"You selfish, ungrateful bastard!" Yami exclaimed, grabbing Kaiba's collar with both hands and slamming him against the wall. Kaiba seemed quite taken aback, not only by the action, but by the fact that the person he took to be Yugi had just gained a deep, mature voice and over half a foot in height – instantaneously. Yami continued his tirade, giving Kaiba no chance for retaliation. "How _dare_ you speak to me that way? After all the help I've offered, after all the times I've saved your sorry ass! Yugi still has patience for you, so I have tolerated you thus far… but no longer!"

Yugi panicked when he felt the Pharaoh begin to tap into the power of the Millenium Puzzle. _He wants to hurt Kaiba!_ Memories flashed across Yugi's mind, memories of almost losing control, almost slipping under the might of Yami's will, almost hurting someone because of his weakness… _I can't let that happen, not then, and not now either!_

Gathering all the energy he could spare, Yugi forced Yami out of his body and back into the Millenium Puzzle. His body went limp for a second while he wrestled Yami's soul into submission, screaming words of betrayal at the furious Pharaoh. Finally regaining control of his body, Yugi was dismayed to find himself sprawled on the ground with a throbbing pain just below his right eye. A myriad of voices flooded his ears.

"Yugi! You little piece of – "

"_Stay away from him Kaiba!_ Is he okay?"

"Say something, Yugi!"

"What's wrong with him?"

He opened his eyes to see Téa kneeling by his side and Joey standing beside her, but everyone else kept their distance, including Kaiba, who stayed near the wall. Wincing, Yugi struggled to sit up, feeling a bit dizzy from the effort. He looked up into Kaiba's livid face warily.

"K-Kaiba, I'm sorry," he began. "I didn't mean – "

"Sorry?" Kaiba interrupted, laughing nonhumorously. "You're not sorry. But you will be soon, I assure you. Once your Egyptian God card is mine, I will have no further use for you, and then you'll know what _sorry_ is."

Yugi didn't have the energy to retaliate. It took all his skill and concentation to contain the still-fuming Pharaoh, and furthermore, he was numb from shock. His senses slowly faded until he could barely hear, see, or feel the outside world. He was vaguely aware that someone helped him up, shouted, and led him into a room and onto a bed. After that, he sank into the depths of his mind and released the Pharaoh from the Puzzle.

At first, Yami's anger remained unbridled. Yugi found himself scared – not only of what Yami would do to others, but for the first time, he was scared of what Yami would do to _him._

* * *

Yami was ready to berate Yugi for preventing the destruction of that menace. He was ready to give him a verbal thrashing to rival Kaiba's. But as he emerged from the shadows of his mind room and entered Yugi's, his anger immediately abated to shame.

Yugi was kneeling in the center of the messy room, amidst the toys and games strewn about. His eyes, fixed on the ground, were blank, so that even when Yugi looked up, it seemed like he was staring right through Yami. It was a sorry and blood-chilling sight.

"How could you?" Yugi said, quiet and sad. "How could you break your promise to me?"

"Yugi," he said, letting his voice and his eyes convey all the authenticity of his words, "I am sorry. I allowed my anger to take control of me, and I – "

"That wasn't just anger," Yugi interrupted. "Last time I checked, you and I both agreed that wanting to destroy someone out of frustration is called _evil_."

Yami was completely taken aback. He shook his head. "No. I am not evil. If I was, you would be like Bakura once was: enslaved, and essentially nonexistant."

"So it's just a funny coincidence, then, that I felt that way when you took over my body against my will?" Yugi said, his voice bitter, but his eyes still utterly, terribly blank. "If that wasn't enslavement, then what was it?"

"You misunderstand. Kaiba is selfish, and unreliable as an ally. He is not grateful for any help we offer him. I did this for both of us," Yami said firmly. "I am not like the spirit of the Millenium Ring, who puts himself first. I am looking out for you as well, aibou, and for our friends."

"But that doesn't change the fact that what you wanted to do was wrong," Yugi said. "If I had let you send him to the Shadow Realm, we would become no better than our enemies. Our restraint is what distinguishes us from them… and you no longer seem to have any restraint."

Yami's eyes widened at what Yugi was implying, but could not find the words to respond. Yugi's eyes suddenly regained life as a few tears ran down his face. He stood up and spoke with unquestionable certainty:

"It's a good thing I tested my strength against Marik earlier, because it looks like I'll have to be strong by myself for awhile."

"Yugi, no. You can trust me, you _have_ to trust me – " Yami was cut off as Yugi jerked their minds back to reality.

"No, I can't trust you!" he yelled out loud. He seized the Millenium Puzzle and took it off his neck, hurling it across the room with a strength Yami never knew he had. The last thing he felt was the loss of of his connection to Yugi before the Puzzle hit the wall and broke, each golden piece containing a fragment of Yami's soul.

* * *

**A/N: **Yes, yes, I'm aware that the whole "Yami's anger getting out of control" plot is used in season four... but I wrote this before I saw season four.

Thank you for reading! I would love to have some feedback. I have part of the next chapter written already, but I could use encouragement (cough)REVIEWS(cough).


	2. The Virus Called Anger

**A/N:** Hi guys! Thanks for the reviews. Uh, I made a alight mistake in my author's note last chapter. This takes place in season TWO, not season three. Heheh. Oops.

Anyway, here's the second chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

Téa stood by Yugi's bed, worriedly awaiting his awakening. She had never seen him that angry, even when he faced the Marik-controlled Joey. It was like he had turned into a completely different person.

"Whadda you think set him off like that?" said Joey, voicing her thoughts. "I mean, Kaiba's one big creep but I never thought Yugi'd jump him. I never even heard him swear in my life!"

"Yeah, I know. It's – " Téa began, but she stopped when Yugi stirred. "Yugi?" she said, turning her full attention on him.

He started muttering. Téa only caught a few words. "Good thing… strength… have to… by myself…"

"What's he – "

But before Joey could finish speaking, Yugi sat up very suddenly, eyes wide open. He threw his Millennium Puzzle across the room, yelling, "No, I can't trust you!" The Puzzle shattered against the wall.

"Yugi, what'sa matter with you? That's your Millennium Puzzle you just smashed!" Joey exclaimed. Yugi showed no sign that he had heard him.

"Are you okay, Yugi? What's wrong?" Téa said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. He still didn't respond, only kept staring blankly at the puzzle pieces strewn on the ground.

"Aw man, this isn't good!" said Joey. "This is just like back in Duelist Kingdom, after he lost to Kaiba."

"Yeah…" Téa said distractedly. She also recognized the symptoms of the trance-like state he had sunk into. Remembering what it was that caused it last time, she began to put two and two together in her head.

Meanwhile, Joey walked around to the foot of the bed and crouched down until he was eye-to-eye with Yugi. "Hey Yug'! Hello, are you in there?" he said loudly, waving his hands in front of Yugi's face.

He was just about to try to shake Yugi out of his trance when Téa said, "It wasn't you that attacked Kaiba, was it?" She felt his shoulder tense up underneath her hand, and continued, "It was Yami." Téa didn't want to believe it – she had spent an entire day with the Pharaoh, and although he was darker and more intense than Yugi, she never thought Yami would do anything to upset him so badly. But when her words snapped Yugi back to reality, and he turned his teary gaze on her, she knew that she had guessed correctly.

"He trapped me in my own mind," said Yugi, with a fearful look on his face, "and nearly unleashed all the power of the Millennium Puzzle on Kaiba." He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, he sat up straight and got off the bed, turning his back on the scattered puzzle pieces. "But I'm safe now. I don't intend to put that Puzzle back together anytime soon."

Joey and Téa exchanged concerned and bewildered looks behind Yugi's back. "But Yugi," said Joey, "I thought you needed the Millennium Puzzle to help beat Marik."

"Yeah. You and the Pharaoh need to stick together," Téa agreed. When Yugi said nothing, she continued. "When you start pushing your friends away, no one wins. A part of being a friend is being understanding, and forgiving. Everyone screws up sometimes, and you have to be willing to give second chances. There are times I feel like pushing the world away, because sometimes people do bad things. But you need to forgive. Just because you and Yami have hit a rough spot doesn't mean you should completely give up on the friendship."

Yugi was silent for several seconds, his hands quivering. Then he curled them into fists. "It does when it happens more than once. I can't trust him." His voice began to waver toward the end of his sentence. No one spoke for a few minutes. The silence was tense, and even more so once Yugi's ragged breathing calmed, becoming smooth and quiet. Téa racked her brain for something to say, anything to make him change his mind, or make him feel better. But for once, she was lost for words. Joey didn't speak either, though she figured this was more likely due to the fact that he knew less about the Pharaoh than she did.

Finally, Yugi broke the silence. "Well, I need to prepare for the finals now, if I intend to defeat Marik." His words were obviously a request for solitude. The last thing Téa wanted to do was leave him by himself, but as she opened her mouth to protest, Joey caught her eye and shook his head, and he began to speak instead.

"Alright, Yug', catch you later," he said in a casual tone. He softened his voice a little and said, "Just know we're here for you, man."

"You never need to face anything alone, Téa added. As she and Joey made their way to the door, she looked back to see Yugi's head turned partially towards them, in acknowledgement of their support. She spared one last glance at the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle before following Joey out the door.

* * *

Tristan waited outside Yugi's room with Duke and Serenity, feeling guilty for not wanting to go inside. Sure, he had given his excuses ("It'll be too crowded with me in there" and "You guys are closer to him than I am"), but the truth was, he was afraid.

_Afraid of my own friend,_ he thought, _and I feel like crap for it._ He was shocked by the anger and violence Yugi had shown towards Kaiba. It just wasn't like him at all. Of course, he had yelled at Kaiba in the past, but he hadn't used such coarse language or rude insults, and he had never once used violence – against _anyone_, as far as Tristan could remember.

This anomaly, combined with the fact that Tristan and Yugi's friendship had started out roughly, made him anxious for his own safety, considering the power Yugi held around his neck. This line of thinking was why, when Yugi gave Kaiba a taste of his own medicine and was soundly punched for it, Tristan's were words were "What's wrong with him?" instead of "Are you alright?" He almost felt sick reliving these feelings. Luckily, he was distracted from his thoughts when the door to Yugi's room opened. As Joey and Téa emerged, Tristan caught a glance of Yugi. He was standing up just fine, it seemed, but his shoulders were tense and his hands were clenched. This sight did nothing to alleviate his fears, but he tried to act normal as Joey and Téa closed the door and faced them with solemn expressions.

"How's Yugi?" Serenity asked quietly.

"Well, sis, that depends," said Joey, sounding more subdued than usual. "Do you mean physically or mentally?"

Tristan was rather confused. He couldn't think of anything that might have hurt his mind. "What are you talking about?"

Joey was about to answer, but Téa glanced back at the door and interrupted him. "Wait, Joey. Yugi wanted to be alone. If he finds us all hovering just outside his room…"

"Oh yeah, good point," he conceded, scratching his head in thought. "Well… let's all go to my room, then. I doubt Kaiba planned on having you four here." He pointedly glanced at them all. "So, there won't be rooms for you guys yet."

The group all agreed with him (though Duke and Tristan expressed surprise at Joey's display of cognitive thinking, to which Joey responded irately). Several minutes later, they all made themselves comfortable in Joey's room. Serenity sat on one side of a small sofa, and Tristan immediately went to take a seat next to her, but Duke beat him to it, giving Serenity his most charming smile. Tristan scowled, and instead went to sit in a cushioned chair near the center of the room. Joey lounged in its twin, while Téa paced slowly beside them. They all helped themselves to refreshments from the mini refrigerator and began to inquire about Yugi again.

"Alright," said Duke, "so if he's been affected in more than one way… let's start simple. How's he dealing with that punch Kaiba threw him?"

Joey grinned. "Took like a man, he did. A little bruise don't stop Yugi Moto!"

"That's our Yugi!" Tristan exclaimed, his grin matching Joey's. His mood was lifted a little by good company (not to mention the pleasantly fizzy soda he held in his right hand). "Nothing phases him!"

"Well, I hate to ruin the good mood," Téa said, a somber expression replacing her smile. "But that's not entirely true." The brief lightheartedness faded like a fire doused by water.

"So, what Kaiba did… it affected Yugi's mind, too?" Serenity asked. Tristan glanced at her, seeing the confusion and fear shining in her hazel eyes. He wished he could be by her side to comfort her, but instead it was Duke who placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. He wrenched his gaze away, forcing himself to concentrate on Joey's response.

"Nah, it wasn't Kaiba's punch that got to him. It was…" Joey drifted off and looked at Téa. "You know more about it than I do. You explain."

Téa nodded, and continued where Joey left off. "It was the spirit of Yugi's Millennium Puzzle." A dumbfounded silence filled the room, but Tristan was quick to break it.

"But I thought that guy was friendly," he said. He didn't know much about the spirit, but he always seemed to be helping Yugi, not hurting him.

"We thought so too," Téa said, her eyes fixed on the floor. She had stopped pacing, but she was now fidgeting so much it made Tristan feel anxious just by watching her. "But from what Yugi told us… well, he said the spirit took over his body to attack Kaiba."

Tristan felt himself pale a little. Looking at the others, he saw that Duke's eyes were wide and confused, and Serenity had put her hand over her mouth in evident shock. It sounded like something from a horror movie. And yet…

"Why is he so upset about it, though?" Tristan asked. "Kaiba's had that coming for him since he started his little vendetta against Yugi!"

"I agree with you one hundred percent, buddy," Joey replied. "But the fact is, Yugi didn't want to do anything to Kaiba. The Pharaoh – the spirit – made him. And that's why he's such a mess right now."

"He betrayed Yugi's trust," Téa said softly, "by trying to use dark magic on Kaiba without his consent."

Serenity gasped. "D-dark magic?" she said shakily.

As everyone else sat in silence, Tristan wallowed in his black mood. _Those Millennium Items and their damned shadow powers!_ he thought angrily. He remembered how much easier life had been before the Millennium Puzzle came along and complicated everything. Now he had been thrown into an ancient power struggle that went way over his head and made him feel helpless at times. _Dammit Yugi, why'd you have to solve that Puzzle? Why didn't I stop Joey from giving him that last piece back?_

Suddenly, he realized what he was thinking, and was immediately guilty for feeling such bitterness and anger towards his friends. He wished dearly that he could just throw these nasty feelings away so he could stand by them, supporting Yugi and Joey and everyone else.

_But I can't…_ Tristan realized with another wave of guilt and confusion. He was suddenly unable to meet the gaze of anyone else in the room. _I can't._

"Attention duelists," came a voice over the video intercom system, shattering the silence little brittle glass. It jolted everyone back to reality. "The Battle City finals are about to begin. Mr. Kaiba requests the presence of all finalists in the main hall."

* * *

Kaiba scowled when Yugi entered the main room. His habitually analytical mind noticed two things that were strange: the kid was alone, and his strange "Millennium Puzzle" thing was missing. Yugi returned his glare with a blank gaze that he couldn't decipher.

_That annoying runt._ And yet, that short moment of eye contact brought a fresh and vivid memory to the forefront of Kaiba's mind. He remembered the brief terror he had felt when a sudden anger had risen up in those eyes, when little Yugi had morphed into a formidable foe. And it wasn't the first time he had witnessed this transformation, he realized.

_Could this mean that Yugi's story is true?_ He wondering, disbelieving. _Could the millennia-old spirit of a Pharaoh really reside in his body?_ For several moments his head spun, as he realized how much could be explained by coming to this conclusion…

But no. Kaiba shook his head. He could not afford to be so distracted at such a time. Whether his views were flawed or not, he would stand by them until irrefutable evidence to the contrary presented itself – at a time when he had the leisure to ponder the matter thoroughly. As it were, he had to be ready to duel at any time, and so needed a level head.

_I'm going to win those God cards,_ he thought determinedly. Flicking his gaze to Yugi once again, a flash of anger and confusion roiled through him. _And then, I'll deal with Yugi. That is, if the shame of defeat doesn't crush him first._

* * *

**A/N: **Dun dun dun... so, how will Yugi hold up during the rest of the tournament? Will Tristan be able to reconcile his confused feelings? And what about Kaiba? Who will resort to drastic measures first? Hm...

Thanks for reading, guys! Please leave me reviews, tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, predictions for future events, and anything else you can think of!


	3. Walls and Weapons

**A/N:** Hi everyone! Sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out. School's been kinda tough, but I'm starting to settle into a routine somewhat, so hopefully I'll update more often!

In the first chapter, I transcribed Kaiba's speech and Joey's comment straight from the episode, but from now on I'm mostly going to make it up. Some will be similar, but not the same, as it was in the episode.

"This is normal speech"

_This is someone's thoughts._

_'This is two people communicating through a mind link.'_

* * *

Bakura would have quite liked to beat that blond, dimwitted friend of Yugi's several times for clumsily knocking into him, or at _least_ give him a scowl and a fierce glare. But thanks to his hikari's meek reputation, he was forced to smile and happily accept the idiot's apology.

"That's quite alright," he said in that pathetically soft and polite voice.

"So Bakura," the blond continued, "how'd you manage to qualify for the finals so fast?"

Bakura was prepared to lie and say he fought five very easy duels, but suddenly realized how much more fun it would be to see the blond's reaction to the truth. So, putting on Ryou's most innocent face, he said, "I, uh, won all of my locator cards at once."

The blond's jaw dropped, and Bakura hid his smirk behind a kind smile. "Buh… But why would anyone agree to bet all their locator cards on one duel?"

"Well…" said Bakura, still with a smile on his face. "I didn't really give them any choice."

Now it wasn't just shock that emanated from the blond. There was fear in his dark eyes, too. Bakura came very close to laughing out loud. "Um…" said the blond, obviously wanting to be anywhere but there. "Well, good luck in the finals, Bakura."

"Good luck to you, too," he replied. "If we end up dueling each other, do go easy on me, won't you?"

"Yeah… sure," said the blond as he turned away, immediately leaving to join his other friends and looking quite nervous. Bakura, though still amused, took this opportunity to drop the smile and instead maintained a neutral look. His gaze followed the blond until he reached Yugi, at which point Bakura gasped: the Millennium Puzzle was missing. His eyes instantly narrowed in suspicion as he looked to Marik's lackey, Odion, and then to Marik himself. Marik, still pretending to be "Namu", returned the glare with an impartial face, but made his impatience known by connecting his mind to Bakura's, using the power of the Millennium Rod.

'_What is it, Bakura?'_ he said coldly through the link.

'_Where is the Millennium Puzzle?' _Bakura demanded, not bothering to hide the accusation in his tone.

'_How should I know? I'm not so stupid as to take an Item without winning it first,' _Marik replied, anger flaring. _'I find out what happened to it as soon as that blond dumbass Joey is finished talking to Yugi.' _He cut off the mind link.

Bakura looked back at Joey and Yugi just in time to see them both turn and give him suspicious looks. He immediately softened his features and gave them a small wave and a polite smile. They turned away from him, and that was when "Namu" began to address Yugi. Bakura was too far away to hear the exact words, but he knew exactly what was being asked, and watched the group's reactions carefully. They all went silent at first. Some cast nervous glances at Yugi. Some began to mumble broken phrases to "Namu". Finally, Yugi spoke, and Marik pretended to look contrite and sheepish. Everyone there went silent, and Marik reopened a mental link between himself and Bakura.

'_Apparently,'_ he began without preamble, his voice torn between amusement and irritation, _'the Pharaoh tried to use shadow magic on Kaiba, and little Yugi got upset, because _Ra forbid_ he ever causes someone pain.' _Bakura rolled his eyes, and Marik continued, _'So he smashed the Puzzle to pieces and left it in his room.'_

'_What an idiot,' _Bakura said with a scoff.

'_My thoughts exactly. Without the Pharaoh to hold his hand, he will be much more vulnerable in a duel. Winning his God card is a simple task,'_ said Marik. Bakura thought he heard a fraction of doubt in his words, but it was so fleeting that he ignored it. Marik continued, _'Now we must only assure that he is unable to make amends with the Pharaoh.'_

'_Indeed…'_ Bakura agreed. _'You have a plan, then?' _Just then, the lights in the room dimmed and a strange machine that looked like a Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon rose from the floor.

'_Yes,'_ replied Marik as one of Kaiba's employees began to speak. _'But I shall explain later.'_ With that, he broke off the mind link, and Bakura turned half his attention to the speaker, who was explaining the rules of the finals. At the same time, he wondered about Marik's plan. Would he have any involvement? How soon would it go into effect? And how would it help distance Yugi from the Pharaoh?

He became too caught up in his thoughts, however, and was caught off guard when his name was announced, and everyone in the room turned to look at him. Giving a little jump of surprise, he laughed nervously, still pretending to be his lighter half.

"Are you _sure_ you're alright, Bakura?" that blond nuisance Joey asked, suspicion in his eyes. Bakura scowled internally: his cover could be blown soon, as well as any chance of seizing the Millennium Puzzle virtually unopposed, but he might as well continue the charade as long as these idiots would buy it. And seeing how far Bakura had fooled them already, whether they would ever actually accuse him of lying was up for debate.

"Yes, I'm quite well," he said with a smile. Damn his soft-spoken hikari. "I'm just surprised I'm in the very first duel." He received a few more looks, but attention was quickly drawn from him as Yugi was announced as his opponent. Bakura smiled in pleasure (of course, he had to make it look considerably less neurotic on the outside). In the very first duel of the finals, he would fulfill his end of the bargain, and would be closer – _much_ closer – to collecting all seven Millennium Items. For a few moments, while he and Yugi were led into the elevator they were taking to the dueling deck, he allowed himself to muse about the day he would finally rein victorious over the world…

Suddenly, having ascended completely, the elevator door slid open, and a blast of icy air sliced at Bakura's face, neck, and arms like a thousand needles. He barely flinched, and walked calmly out into the open. In the corner of his eye, he saw Yugi shiver and cross his arms and hunched slightly against the cold. They both took their positions on the dueling arena, and as the platform began to rise beneath their feet, the cheerleading squad and Marik arrived on the observation deck. The Kaiba brothers also came to watch, though they stood on the other side of the dueling platform.

Yugi then straightened, his arms still crossed, and looked directly at Bakura. "I don't think you are who you say you are," he announced. The conviction of his accusation was plain in all but his eyes. Bakura was not as stupid as Yugi and his friends – he could immediately see that Yugi was putting up a façade of strength, and that he was unstable on the inside.

When Bakura didn't answer to his assertion, he continued, "You have the Ring back, don't you?" Bakura just laughed and allowed his darker appearance to surface. Ryou's kind, round eyes became more angled and narrow, and his hair became even less tame. Then, the Millennium Ring materialized around his neck, and outcries of "No way!" and "That's impossible!" came from the observation deck. While Yugi's friends began trying to make sense of this turn of events, Bakura spoke to Yugi in a voice low enough so that only he could hear.

"You're surrounded by lies, little Yugi. I know I'm not the first one who managed to betray your trust today – " he smirked as he saw Yugi's fists clench. " – and nor will I be the last. It's too bad my lighter half isn't present at the moment, because I'm sure he could have given you some excellent advice on how to deal with an evil yami." The short boy's eyes widened, and Bakura laughed again.

"How… how – " Yugi began, but abruptly cut himself off, shaking his head. He didn't meet Bakura's mocking gaze, only said, "Just start the duel."

The dark spirit sneered at how defeated Yugi sounded. _Hikaris are so very fragile,_ he thought. _And so fun to break!_ He drew his first five cards and prepared for an easy victory.

* * *

Marik stood on the observation deck with his hands clasped behind his back, one tightly clenching the Millennium Rod. He carefully separated his attention, so he was aware of what was happening around him, and so he could concentrate on initiating his plan.

Making sure that everyone around him was thoroughly distracted by the duel, he tapped into the powers of the Rod and probed the mind of one of Yugi's friends, just to confirm his earlier suspicions. Of course, mind reading wasn't as potent in the Millennium Rod as it was in the Eye, but the ability was still there, like a small bonus to the controlling power. From this young man's mind, he was able to gather that his name was Tristan, and that he was still in the same state of confusion, guilt, and bitterness that Marik had noticed about him minutes ago in the main room. He smirked; this weak emotional state would make him vulnerable to the Rod's powers, especially since both the bitterness and the task Marik had in mind were against the Millennium Puzzle and its inhabitant. Tristan's eyes went blank with almost no effort on Marik's behalf.

His first command for the new mind slave was to leave the duel and head for the central elevator.

"Where're you going, Tristan?" one of the others asked. Marik scowled internally, he had forgotten about them. He returned a normal look to Tristan's face and made him reply.

"Bathroom," he said in a dull monotone, turning only partly towards his friends. "Be back soon." None of them pursued the subject, only turned their attention back to Yugi and Bakura. Marik smirked at their naïve trust: it was no wonder why Bakura's bad acting had disguised him for so long!

As Tristan entered the elevator and disappeared from view, Marik allowed a small part of himself to drift across the invisible chain of dark magic that bound the slave to his master. He could then see what Tristan saw, and could direct him accordingly. An image of the inside of the elevator appeared to his eyes only, superimposed over reality. He also heard the slight whir of the machine operating, layered over the sounds of the duel as though he were listening to it through a single earphone.

The elevator door opened with a _whoosh_, and Marik, through Tristan, walked out into the hallway. His footsteps almost seemed to echo in the desolate blimp. In a short minute, he arrived at a room with the door slightly ajar, as if the occupant had been too distracted to bother with closing it all the way when he left. Tristan pushed the door open, stepped in, and flicked the switch in the wall nearby. Light flooded the room, reflecting off the golden Puzzle pieces on the floor, making them gleam like precious gems.

Marik carefully suppressed a malicious smile as he returned his full attention to his own mind and body. While he waited for Tristan to complete the task, he turned his thoughts to the girl, Téa. In a last-minute decision, he chose to include her in his plan. The Millennium Rod glowed softly as he incited its power once again, and he delved into her mind.

Having broken into many minds, Marik had long ago begun to notice the more intricate parts of the short procedure. Strengthening emotions were walls, while weakening ones were weapons easily used against them. He had come across nothing but weapons in Tristan's mind, but Téa had a few walls. There was one for faith and one for hope, both of which Marik barreled over easily; they were as weak as chain link fences. The third wall was friendship and love. He probed it, expecting another easy break, but instead found an obstacle as strong as steel-enforced concrete. So, he quickly searched around in her mind, and finally located a weapon, buried deep down: her worry and fear. The wall crumbled beneath his feet like a stale cookie, and he was in control.

This entire process took place at the speed of thought, and was thus over within the time frame of a single second. So, he let his power fade and only lingered at the back of Téa's mind, returning her free will for now. It would do no good to waste his energy while he waited. Five minutes later, the elevator door slid open again, and Tristan stepped out. He walked to a spot directly in front of Marik, and surreptitiously held his hand open behind his back, revealing four pieces of the Millennium Puzzle, glinting softly in the dappled moonlight. Marik took two, then Tristan put oe in his jacket pocket and slipped on into Téa's bag.

As he tucked the golden pieces into his own pocket, Marik released some of his hold on Tristan, to give his concentration a break. His lip twitched as he suppressed a smirk. _And so,_ he thought, supremely confident despite earlier doubts,_ the battle is won before it has even started._

* * *

**A/N:**I'm not quite sure if Tea actually had a purse/bag/pocketbook with her in the series, but whatever. XD

Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed so far, thank you all for reading this chapter, and please PLEASE review! Even a single review just makes my day.


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